The Kite Runner - Chapter 5

‘They’re hunting ducks’

Tries to comfort them with a lie, he lies to protect them.

‘Ali pulled him close, clutched him with tenderness.’

Amir wishes to have that same tenderness with his Baba, he longs for it and tries to convince himself he isnt jealous of Hassans relationship with Ali.

‘They were foreign sounds to us then.’ ‘the generation of Afghan children whos ears would know nothing but the sounds of bombs and gunfire was not yet born’

Foreshadowing deterioration of the innocence of children - they become tainted - like Sohrab.

‘…a way of life had ended. our way of life.’

short sentences, dramatic - Our is italicized to show how its not just him but collectively everyone will experience change no matter the class.

‘bringing the death of the Afghanistan I knew’

Personification - country cannot literally die but his perception of it will die with what is to happen

‘for a brief insane moment, I was glad about whatever happened that night’

Amir shares traits of Assef here, with his insanity. Adoration of Baba takes place over childhood?

‘Does, republic mean father and I will have to move away?’

Hassan is only thinking about being split from Amir that is his worry. This shows his undying affection for him

‘the blond, blue-eyed Assef’

Aryan race tries to connect to American audience

‘his famous-stainless steel brass knuckles’ ‘ well-earned reputation for savagery’

Assef immediately is notorious for his violent behavior. Also brass-knuckles worn quite close to the skin - shows how his violent nature is almost innate and apart of him.

‘His words were law’ ‘those brass-knuckles were just the right teaching tool’

metaphor for how much power he has - on par with a head of authority.

‘Assef’s blue eyes glinted with a light that was not entirely sane.’ ‘grinned’ ‘might not be entirely sane’

He is an unstable character even as a child. Repetition of him not being sane puts emphasis on his darker nature.

‘I wished’

There is this constant repetition from Amir about the choices he wish he had made. Foreshadows how he is so stuck in the past - feels like the narrator Amir kicking in rather than our childhood Amir in this sense of past.

‘If they had let Hitler finished what he started, the world would be a better place now’

This was written for an American audience, intentional to understand just how villainous this character is. You are made to think he is evil from the beginning.

‘We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans.’ ‘HIs people pollute our homeland’

Societal values are engraved into him. ‘pollute’ suggests that people like Hassan make Afghanistan a harmful place - ironic.

‘They dirty our blood’

extremely ironic, Assef is the one who goes on to commit genocide. Therefore, he is the one dirtying peoples blood quite literally - hypocritical statement.

‘How can you talk to him, play with him, let him touch you?’ ‘his voice dripping with disgust’

Question mark - he is quite serious - Assef hates the connection that they have he thinks its unnatural because they are different.

‘but he’s not my friend! I almost blurted. He’s my servant!’

This is inside Amir’s head and it is him internalising the prejudices he feels he should have from society. He doesn’t actually believe this. Wants to convince himself so he fits in but it is not true.

‘Why did I only play with Hassan only when no one else was around?’

Rhetorical questions, unreliable narration coming through he is less sympathetic to himself. He recognises he is apart of the problem but is a bit extreme in it because realistically he wouldn’t be able to include Hassan.

‘I looked in his crazy eyes and saw that he meant it, he really meant to hurt me.’

really is italicized, Amir couldn’t believe how insane Assef was. Perhaps thought Baba’s reputation could protect him forever, but it isn’t now, show of how Afghanistan is changing because Baba was born in the same year as Zahir shah Khan - fates are intertwined and he died so….

‘widened with surprise’ ‘astonishment’

even they are surprised with how a Hazara boy is standing up to them Pashtuns. Hassan goes against social hierarchy to an extent just to save Amir - brotherhood.

‘I wondered briefly what it must be like to live with such an ingrained sense of one’s place in hierarchy’

Amir recognises the priviledge he holds.

‘I saw that he was scared. He was scared plenty.’

Dramatic short simple sentences, Hassan’s fear is very much real and the fact he is ‘scared’ is repeated shows this. However, he is obliged to save Amir.

‘Someone had challenged their God. Humiliated him. And, worst of all, that someone was a skinny Hazara.’

Assef won’t forget this because of the humiliation of it all. Assef portrayed as a figure of authority a ‘god’ someone to worship but someone you’re scared of.. foreshadows his later role as a Talib

‘Someday, I’ll make you face me one on one’

Foreshadows future events where Amir does face him

‘Your Hazara’

Hassan is identified through his ethnic background and is made to sound like an object Amir owns not a real person.

‘People spoke of women’s rights and modern technology.’

the opposite of what happens and even now.

‘His face was impassive as ever, though something sober had melted into his eyes.’

Ali does not express his emotions and that is how he is characterised

‘I wished I too had some kind of scar’

Amir is ungrateful for the privileges he has

‘Hassan’s upper lip was a grotesque mesh of swollen, raw tissue’

Cleft Lip is a sign of change

‘that was the winter Hassan stopped smiling.’

Alliteration with stopped smiling + narrative hook to the end of the chapter. His smile was symbolic of the peaceful times in Afghanistan.